88: Chapter 88: He's alive?!

"It's the cultivators from the underground plaza earlier. Your isolation Formation Plate didn't stop them after all."

"However, there aren't as many of them as before; clearly, some chose to enter through other archways."

"With their arrival, the expressions of Li Mingyang and his group in the distance began to shift."

"Senior Brother, why are there suddenly so many people? Isn't there only one correct entrance?"

"Shut up! How would I know? It must be the Heavenly Demon Hall playing tricks!"

"Your divine sense began eavesdropping again. They didn't notice you before, and now that there are more people, they have even less time to pay attention to you."

"Senior Brother Cao! We're here!"

"Zhou Yuying's surprised voice rang out from the side. You looked back and saw that Cao Ran and You Qunying had indeed hurried over. It seemed Rui Hong's message had been effective."

"Look, what is that?!"

"Could that be the primordial qi?"

"The arrival of numerous cultivators made the place noisy, and they clearly also discovered Li Mingyang and his group beside the giant crystal."

"Those belonging to the East Sea and Qiongyao Holy Land hurriedly moved toward them, while the group of demon race members behind remained behind you."

"You withdrew your divine sense; with so many eyes on them now, Li Mingyang and his group wouldn't be communicating directly anymore."

"While everyone was making a racket, you saw Li Mingyang and his group, their demeanor composed, form an intricate array and channel streams of gentle yet tenacious spiritual energy into the crystal."

"As these streams of spiritual energy were injected, the giant beast crystal, which had been struggling violently, slowly began to stabilize."

"Fellow Daoists, this is an ancient fierce spirit sealed ten thousand years ago by the Academy Founder and the Reincarnation Ancient Cult Master. Recently, the secret realm has become unstable, and the fierce spirit is in danger of breaking the seal. We are acting under the Academy's orders to reinforce the seal and prevent a catastrophe. Please, leave this place quickly to avoid being corrupted by the malevolent energy..."

"I, Li Mingyang, guarantee that our Xingzhi Academy will not participate in the competition for the primordial qi. I hope everyone can give our Academy some face."

"Li Mingyang's refined voice echoed through the area, but you had no mind to listen, because the token in your embrace had become as hot as a branding iron."

"In your mind, it was no longer a calling, but overwhelming grief and indignation, with pain mixed with a hint of familiar closeness."

"Hearing Li Mingyang's words, some low-cultivation rogue cultivators rushed toward the entrance. Most rogue cultivators who had managed to reach this level of cultivation cherished their lives and dared not oppose a behemoth like Xingzhi Academy."

"However, many cultivators were still attracted by the majestic, ancient aura of the crystal and refused to leave, and quite a few cultivators with backgrounds watched on, half-doubting."

"Just as the cultivators were discussing among themselves, you keenly noticed the Tribulation Transcendence perfection cultivator named Mo Tian behind Li Mingyang gaze turn cold as he crushed a jade plaque in his hand."

"The edges of the entire cavern lit up instantly, and a massive, transparent light barrier descended, trapping the entire cavern within it."

"Your expression changed, and you instantly retreated several meters, but you were still trapped inside."

"Countless golden patterns emerged on the ground, radiating an aura that dissolved spiritual energy."

"Not good! They want to silence us!"

"Following a shout, all the cultivators began to panic; clearly, this wasn't the first time Xingzhi Academy had done something like this."

"Various attacks slammed into the light barrier, but it was like a stone dropped into the ocean. The power of the array began to erode the cultivators, and those with weaker cultivation had already collapsed, screaming."

"You gathered with Rui Hong and the others, jointly supporting a defensive barrier."

"What should we do? This array is incredibly powerful. I estimate... it cannot be broken by anything less than the power of a True Immortal!"

"Cao Ran's face was somewhat pale; he hadn't expected Xingzhi Academy to be so bold as to attack everyone."

"Hold on, I have already sent a message to the outside world. The elders should be able to discover the abnormality here very soon!"

"Rui Hong gritted her teeth and said that as long as they could hold out until the Heavenly Demon Hall elders arrived, they would definitely be able to break the grand array."

"While they were discussing urgently, they didn't notice you behind them, your eyes tightly shut and your teeth clenched."

"Just when the array rose earlier, you felt the resonance between your bloodline and the token reach its peak."

"A fragment of sealed memory suddenly exploded in your mind."

"Ten thousand years ago, academy cultivators dressed in Academy attire were attacking a giant beast with dragon horns in league with a group of people in black."

"Then the scene shifted; the family protected by the giant beast was shattered amidst raging flames, and the giant beast was also sealed into a crystal by three powerful experts."

"You opened your eyes again and felt your consciousness arrive in a pure white space, with only an old man in green robes standing in the distance."

"Just as you were about to speak, you saw the old man smiling kindly and waving at you."

"You brat, you've grown so big."

"The old man looked at you with eyes full of smiles. Although you felt a deep sense of familiarity, you still vigilantly asked who he was."

"The old man chatted with you with a chuckle, and from his mouth, you learned his true identity."

"The old man's name was 'Cang', and his true form was a descendant of a Azure Dragon and a Black Tortoise, a Half-step Golden Immortal realm existence."

"However, he had another identity: he was the guardian beast of your father, Divine Lord Xuan Xiao's family!"

"It turned out that back then, after your father became the Palace Master of the Taixu Divine Palace, the Chen family had become a renowned and powerful clan."

"And after he married your mother, the Chen family reached an unprecedented status in the Nine Heavens Domain, which drew the attention of the faction led by the Golden Immortal, Real Person Tai Ding."

"At that time, the Upper Realm had not yet broken the restrictions of the Emperor Realm, and your father, Divine Lord Xuan Xiao, was originally a talent rarely seen in the Nine Heavens Domain for a thousand years."

"However, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be destroyed by the wind; what followed was what you already knew: your father was framed, and your mother fled for her life into the forbidden zone."

"The entire Chen family was devoured by the three major powers, and even the guardian beast was imprisoned here."

"And this time, with the incident at the Void Spirit Abyss, the Nine Heavens Domain was clearly afraid of this matter being discovered, which is why they sent Li Mingyang and his group to relocate Cang."

"You suddenly realized; no wonder you felt an indescribable sense of closeness with the giant beast."

"You had always wondered why you didn't have the original owner's memories; now it seemed your parents must have sealed your memories before sending you to the Spirit Ruins Realm."

"Little one. It seems you haven't had it easy all these years. Oh well, oh well, it looks like I'll have to give you one last push."

"The old man chuckled, as if he knew what you were thinking, and his entire being transformed into a white light that merged into the space between your eyebrows."

"Go now. This old one is tired; the future of the Chen family is left to you young people."